Farmers’ Incomes, Food Supply Under Threat – Independent Newspaper Nigeria

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LAGOS – While much of Nigeria’s agricultural conversation has focused on boosting production, stakeholders say the sec­tor’s most damaging losses occur after harvest.

They pointed out that weak storage systems, fragile logistics, inadequate pro­cessing capacity and high costs continue to erode farmer incomes and threaten food security which often wipe out gains made on the field.

Daily Independent in separate inter­views with stakeholders across the val­ue chains, warn that without deliberate investment in post-harvest handling, storage and supply-chain infrastructure, increased production alone will not trans­late into stable food supply or improved livelihoods.

They point to post-harvest losses as a major structural weakness, that even when yields improve, farmers continue to lose significant value due to spoilage, poor aggregation systems and limited access to markets.

To bridge the gap, stakeholders advo­cate stronger private-sector participation in value-chain development, particularly in processing, storage and logistics.

Coordinated aggregation systems, commodity market centres and modern storage facilities, they argue, would help reduce losses and support price stability.

While production challenges linked to climate change persist, they insist that Nigeria cannot secure its food system without fix­ing what happens after harvest.

Austine Gbenga Adeniba, the COO of Eliakim Integrated Services Limited, highlights that inadequate cold storage facilities and poor rural road networks mean a large portion of har­vests—particularly fruits and vegetables—spoil before reach­ing consumers. These losses, he notes, undermine both food avail­ability and farmer earnings.

This challenge is compounded by rising input and logistics costs.

Anibe Achimugu, President, National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN), notes that fertiliser, agrochemicals, diesel, energy and transport costs re­main high, while storage and aggregation systems are still inadequate. As a result, farmers lose value even in seasons of im­proved production.

The stakeholders agree that Nigeria’s storage and logistics infrastructure remains far be­low what is needed for a modern agricultural system.

Prince Oyewumi Oyetunde, a stakeholder in the livestock sub sector, stresses the importance of investing in cold storage facil­ities, silos and efficient logistics networks, particularly for perish­able commodities.

According to him, improved storage and supply chains would significantly reduce waste, strengthen food security and raise rural incomes.

Similarly, Ado Sule, Director of Administration, National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN), calls for strength­ened storage, aggregation and post-harvest systems to reduce losses and stabilise markets.

He pointed out that without these systems, price volatility persists, and farmers are often forced to sell produce at low prices immediately after harvest.

Within the livestock and poul­try segments, stakeholders see significant opportunities in cold chain logistics and processing.

Sunday Ezeobiora, President of the Poultry Association of Ni­geria (PAN), points to the broiler processing segment, noting that improved cold chain infrastruc­ture could reduce post-harvest losses and ensure a more stable supply of meat to markets.

He argues that investments in processing and cold storage would not only cut waste but also support market stability.

Across crop and livestock value chains, stakeholders em­phasise that processing capacity remains limited, leaving farm­ers dependent on raw commod­ity sales rather than value-added products.

Oyewole Okewole, Senior Associate Consultant at FutuX Agri-consult Limited, says that Nigeria’s agricultural priorities in 2026 must shift decisively to­ward value addition, storage, post-harvest handling, processing and supply-chain infrastructure.

According to him, addressing these gaps is essential to revers­ing the losses that weakened Ni­geria’s comparative advantage across key value chains in 2025.

He further argues that enter­prises involved in storage, pro­cessing and export-oriented agri­business should receive targeted support, as they play a critical role in reducing waste and increasing farmers’ incomes.

Despite the clear need for in­vestment, the stakeholders note that access to affordable capital remains a major barrier.

Achimugu points to tight mon­etary conditions and high bench­mark interest rates, which have constrained affordable financing for storage, processing, mechani­sation and input supply.

These financing gaps, accord­ing to him, limit both public and private investment in post-har­vest infrastructure.

Weak storage, poor logistics and inadequate processing capac­ity continue to drain value from the sector, deepen rural poverty and limit the impact of increased production.

As stakeholders emphasise, agriculture transformation must go beyond the farm gate—toward efficient post-harvest systems that preserve value, stabilise markets and ensure that food produced actually reaches consumers.

Until those gaps are addressed, Nigeria’s agricultural gains, they warn, will continue to rot before they reach the table.